How to tell if you have a good personal trainer?
kelhea
Posts: 52 Member
I've only had a personal trainer for a few sessions and am considering purshasing more sessions with him. However, it's very pricey and do not want to spend all of this money on a PT if he's just stringing me along for some extra cash. So that being said, how can I tell if he's a good trainer, cares about my goals and knows what he is talking about or if I need to consider trying a different trainer or just not getting one at all?
0
Replies
-
Well foremost is if you are seeing results. PT is expensive. Ive known good and bad trainers alike. May I ask which gym you go to? (Just curious, not exactly relevant) If you have certain types of health insurance, they pay for your gym membership and training.0
-
do you like him? thats how i pick a trainer. If he's just a local gym fitness trainer, they are kinda all the same so the deciding factor is if you like him and have fun during your training session and feel good when you leave. If its a specialized trainer, i like to see their resume of athletes they've trained and what they and their students have accomplished , etc.0
-
GoodLife fitness
And yes I do like him, he is very outgoing and motivating and I'm comfortable around him, just not sure If he's in it for the money and doesn't really know what he's talking about haha0 -
they are all in it for the money, its his job and career. If you like him, keep training with him and as you get better and more experienced you'll figure out what he knows and doesn't know. No trainer knows everything, they all have their own styles, weaknesses , skills, etc. I assume you are very new to training, so you will learn something from him and when you feel you aren't learning anymore, thats when its time to move on to another trainer. But if you have doubts about him, no harm to jump around from trainer to trainer. You'll gain something different from each one.4
-
Is he certified by a national, reputable organization such as the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine)?
Is he current? No suspension, complaint, or punishment?
Is he operating within the scope of his license?
(No nutritional advice, for example. Not trying to sell supplements, not trying to set you up with a meal plan, other than in the most general of terms, or perhaps using printouts / handouts from a website such as the USDA or other similarly reputable site.)
((Of course, if he also has a degree in nutrition, ignore that. But I'd want to see proof.))
Do you feel like he listens to you, responds to your questions, goals, etc?
Is what he teaches you related to your goals?
It is doable, but just a bit challenging?
Do you get along OK, have a good "vibe"?
Are you learning?
Are you seeing results?
Is he teaching you to be self-sufficient? THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!!
There's a big difference between teaching someone the basics (which will likely take a few weeks, depending on how often you meet, and how often you practice on your own), letting them work on that for a month or so by themselves, then checking in for a session or two, correcting any problems, adding some challenges & new moves, checking in in another month for another tuneup, etc.,
including telling you how to make your workout harder as you need to in between tuneups,
vs.
"the only way you're going to get any better is if you're working out with me at your side twice a week".
Obviously, you want to avoid the latter person, because they're mostly out to make money.4 -
PMed you.
0 -
GoodLife fitness
And yes I do like him, he is very outgoing and motivating and I'm comfortable around him, just not sure If he's in it for the money and doesn't really know what he's talking about haha
What (if anything) makes you say that he might not know what he's talking about?0 -
What (if anything) makes you say that he might not know what he's talking about?[/quote]
It's nothing that he did really, I've just been hearing horror stories from other people (ppl who have never had him as a PT) how they didn't know what they were doing and just get a quick online certificate. From what i "think", he knows what he's talking about but at the same time i don't know anything about fitness/exercise and am not sure if he's just saying random things to sounds smart? If that makes sense at all?? Lol0 -
It's nothing that he did really, I've just been hearing horror stories from other people (ppl who have never had him as a PT) how they didn't know what they were doing and just get a quick online certificate. From what i "think", he knows what he's talking about but at the same time i don't know anything about fitness/exercise and am not sure if he's just saying random things to sounds smart? If that makes sense at all?? Lol
Stick with him for a few months, as long as he isn't coaching you on technical lifts and just doing general training you will be fine. I out grew my personal trainer for a proper powerlifting coach recently, as I was starting to learn more than my PT, but that's not to say he wasn't an awesome trainer, just not enough knowledge to be a power lifting coach. As mentioned above, everyone has their strengths, give it time, do what you enjoy and if need be, upgrade to someone with the training in the particular area you want to train in.1 -
It's nothing that he did really, I've just been hearing horror stories from other people (ppl who have never had him as a PT) how they didn't know what they were doing and just get a quick online certificate. From what i "think", he knows what he's talking about but at the same time i don't know anything about fitness/exercise and am not sure if he's just saying random things to sounds smart? If that makes sense at all?? Lol
Tell us a few things he's said... there's enough knowledge here to tell you if he's talking bollocks or not!0 -
What (if anything) makes you say that he might not know what he's talking about?
It's nothing that he did really, I've just been hearing horror stories from other people (ppl who have never had him as a PT) how they didn't know what they were doing and just get a quick online certificate. From what i "think", he knows what he's talking about but at the same time i don't know anything about fitness/exercise and am not sure if he's just saying random things to sounds smart? If that makes sense at all?? Lol[/quote]
Do you know this person's background? Agree with @MKEgal the trainer should teach you to be self sufficient.0 -
is he hot?-1
-
Are you a member of good life fitness in Nebraska? I live in Lincoln if so! I've heard good things about the trainers there!0
-
How to Select a Personal Trainer
http://body-improvements.com/articles/industry-articles/how-to-select-a-personal-trainer/
10 Signs You Should Break Up With Your Trainer
http://dailyburn.com/life/fitness/personal-trainer-break-up-signs/
How to choose a personal trainer
http://www.stumptuous.com/how-to-choose-a-personal-trainer
Additionally, a red flag is if the trainer gives all clients the same exercises, or does mostly machine or isolation exercises.
0 -
I've worked with some really great trainers and coaches. Really depends on your goals as to what makes a really good one. It is hard to tell without having a few sessions with one. But in one or two sessions I would say a good PT should be watching you like a hawk (you are paying them for their time) - and be making corrections to your form. A good one will tell you what not to do, what to do, and how this impacts other things. Especially if you are new to fitness.1
-
A lot of them get online certification. That in and of itself doesn't prove whether they are good or not. This is not a regulated industry, there are no educational requirements, and there is not government oversight. What is their training experience and their personal fitness experience? Have they been working out hard core for 20 years, or did they just start last year? How long have they been certified? What other training/certifications do they have (there are specialty certifications)? How many clients have they worked with (5 or 100)? Can they give you references to other clients?0
-
Like everyone else mentioned, make sure he is certified by an accredited program by the NCCA. Also, when working out he should be teaching you what to do, what not to do, how to perfect your form, etc. He should be there to support you while educating you so that you can reach your goals, etc. etc.0
-
GoodLife fitness
And yes I do like him, he is very outgoing and motivating and I'm comfortable around him, just not sure If he's in it for the money and doesn't really know what he's talking about haha
Everyone is in it for the money when it comes to their job. That's a primary reason why we work... That said, it is your money, you determine what value you're looking to get out of it. I can tell you that when I had a trainer in 2011 I didn't really get stronger or lose weight but I think I had a great trainer. The lack if results was me not doing anything at home in the kitchen to support my goals and I wasn't following up on the gym on my own time. One of those "you get out of it what you put into it scenarios."0 -
If he spews any pseudoscience or bioscience run!0
-
Did the trainer do some sort of movement assessment before they has you do any exercise? The functional movement screen is good but there are others.0
-
So that being said, how can I tell if he's a good trainer, cares about my goals and knows what he is talking about or if I need to consider trying a different trainer or just not getting one at all?
So what I'd be looking for is, as upthread, qualification to be displayed openly. Post qualification experience, continuing professional development and interests you can get from conversation.
Is this someone who is listening to what you want, and working to understand your motivation, or are they projecting their own motivation onto you?
Are they giving you options or absolutes? Are you getting a feel that they're pitching a One True Way (tm) approach to reaching your objectives, and can they explain how their recommendations are supporting your objectives? If they're recommending particular thing are they following up with why that might be appropriate?
All that might reflect their own experience and it'll flush out whether they've actually got the relevant experience to help you. As an example if I was looking for someone to help me with my 10Km performance I'd anticipate recommending a combination of resistance training, core work and speedwork alongside my long, steady endurance runs. If I was looking to improve my shorter distances I'd anticipate more emphasis on the resistance work.
How rounded is the advice? Particularly if your interest is weight loss are you getting some guidance on managing your deficit and how your training relates and complements the dietary side of things?
And as earlier, do you get a warm feeling from them? Do you get on? If you don't, it doesn't matter how well qualified they are.0 -
So that being said, how can I tell if he's a good trainer, cares about my goals and knows what he is talking about or if I need to consider trying a different trainer or just not getting one at all?
i took an introductory women-only class about lifting to get the very first general idea, then just went solo for more than a year after that before even setting out to look for someone to work with. going that way had bad sides to it, but the good side was that it gave me a year of observing various trainers at work with a range of clients in the space where i was lifting. i knew i didn't know enough to know what i didn't know yet, but like you i didn't want to pay someone 75 bucks an hour to learn it either.
just lifting by myself while putting myself mentally into the shoes of whichever client was so useful. it gave me a very solid view of the kinds of things i was looking for from a trainer myself. and also of the many many other things that i didn't want or had no interest in. i also picked up a strong sense of how to tell which kinds of people just weren't going to be 'my' kind for workout purposes. by the time i did go looking i knew exactly what i was looking for and found it easier to find that too.0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 176K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.6K Fitness and Exercise
- 431 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions